Double carton take-off unit



June 2, 1959 V A. BERG, JR., ETAL 2,889,033

DOUBLE CARTON TAKE-OFF UNIT Filed July 17, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet '1 mmvrgns JOHN A- BERG 52.. JOHN A BERG JR.-

J. A. BERG, JR., ET AL DOUBLE CARTON TAKE-OFF UNIT June 2, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July ,l'T, 1956 INVENTORS, BEIZG- 52. Q.

ATTORNEY 3 JOHN A.

BY I

June 2, 1959 J. A BERG, JR, ET AL 3 DOUBLE CARTON TAKE-OFF UNIT Filed July 17. 1956 s Sheets-Sheet a JQHN A- Blazer IE2.

ATTOR N EVE State Patent Patented June 2, 1959 DOUBLE CARTON TAKE-OFF UNIT John A. Berg, Jr., and John A. Berg, Sr., Little Rock, Ark.

Application July 17, 1956, Serial No. 598,343 2 Claims. (Cl. 198-185) This invention relates to apparatus providing a takeoff unit for cartons traveling upon a conveyor belt. More particularly, the invention has reference to a device so designed that it will act upon a particular type of carton having an upwardly projecting lid disposed in open position, in a manner to divert said carton from the conveyor belt to a take-off table, with cartons of other shapes or having their lids in closed positions not being acted upon by the apparatus and continuing their travel along the conveyor belt. By reason of the arrangement illustrated, a separation of one type of carton traveling upon a conveyor belt from cartons of other types traveling upon the same belt is automatically efiected by the apparatus.

The invention has particular adaptability for acting upon egg cartons so as to separate cartons of a particular type from other egg cartons of a dilferent type. While the invention has special adaptability for acting upon egg cartons, it is not limited to this particular use, and can be employed to advantage whenever separation of different types of cartons traveling upon the same conveyor belt is desired, it being essential only that the cartons to be diverted have upwardly projecting lids in open positions. The invention, it may be noted, is especially suited for egg packing operations, since it is common practice to place upon a single conveyor belt two difierent types of cartons, which types must necessarily be separated into two groups during their further travel upon the conveyor.

In an operation of the character described, at least one of the two types of cartons travels along the conveyor belt with the lid of each carton extending upwardly in an open position. When the carton arrives at a particular point, it is acted upon by a lid-closing apparatus. The invention is designed to be located astride the conveyor belt in advance of the lid-closing apparatus, so as to divert to said apparatus all cartons of a particular type, having their lids extending upwardly in open position, with other cartons that are not to be acted upon by the lid-closing means continuing onto the end of the conveyor belt.

Summarized briefly, the invention includes a supporting frame having guide means at the entrance end thereof designed to engage the upwardly projecting lids of a particular type of carton, to guide the cartons between arcuately extending, contacting, driven guide belts or similarly contacting, driven, belt-and'wheel units, so that the cartons will be guided along corresponding arcuate paths oh the conveyor belt to a take-off table. The lid-engaging guide belts or belt-and-wheel units are so located relative to the conveyor belt that while they will engage lids of a particular type of carton, they will be disposed wholly clear of other types of cartons, so that said other types will continue past the apparatus constituting the invention without diversion from the conveyor belt. In this way, automatic separation of two types of cartons is effected, and at the same time, the diverted cartons are properly positioned to be acted upon by a lid-closing device already known in the art.

One object of importance is to provide a carton-diverting or guiding means that can be associated with conventional conveyors already employed, without requiring modification or redesign of said conveyors, and without affecting the normal operation of the conveyors in any way.

Another object is to provide a device of the character described that will be readily locatable at any selected point along the length of a conventional conveyor, with the device being designed to permit its movement to another location upon the conveyor with minimum difficulty, whenever desired.

A further object of importance is to provide a cartondiverting assembly of the character stated that will act upon the carton in such a manner as not to damage the same in any way.

Another object is to provide a carton-diverting means which will simultaneously act upon a plurality of cartons, so as to divert them along generally parallel, arcuate paths oif the conveyor belt.

Still another object of importance is to provide means of the type referred to above that will be particularly designed to permit its speed of operation to be properly timed in relation to the speed of the convey-or.

Still another object is to provide carton-separating or diverting means capable of being manufactured at a low cost, While at the same time being characterized by a particularly high eiliciency in discharge of its intended function, and by a capacity for usage over a long period of time without requiring maintenance or repair.

Other objects will appear from the following descrip tion, the claims appended thereto, and from the annexed drawings, in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of apparatus formed according to the present invention, a portion of the apparatus being broken away, the apparatus being shown in operative association with a conveyor belt only a fragment of which is illustrated;

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical section taken longitudinally of the apparatus substantially on line 2.2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged horizontal section looking upwardly at the apparatus from the line 33 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an enlarged transverse sectional view substantially on line 4-4 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 3 showing a modified construction; and

Figure 6 is an enlarged, detail sectional view on line 6-6 of Figure 5.

Referring to the drawings in detail, in the form of the invention shown in Figures l-4 the invention is shown as including a stationary support frame disposed astride a conveyor belt. The support frame includes a horizontal, rectangular top plate 10, spaced a relatively short distance above a horizontal bottom plate 12, both of said plates bridging the conveyor belt.

The top plate 10, at the entrance end of the frame (shown at the left in Figures 1, 2 and 3) is extended beyond the adjacent end of the bottom plate. This is shown to particular advantage in Figures 2 and 3. The purpose of this is to provide space for accommodating a plurality of carton guides each of which comprises a pair of convergent guide plates bowed inwardly toward one another and converging in the direction in which the cartons are traveling. Thus, referring to Figure 3, there is a first guide comprising convergent guide plates 14, 16, and a second guide comprising guide plates 18, 20. The guide plates 14, 20 can be composed of a single piece of sheet material as shown in Figure 3. The guide plates of each pair thus define a tapering, downwardly opening entranceway in which will be guided the upwardly projecting ribs of a carton of a particular type traveling upon the conveyor belt.

I The top and bottom plates are connected at the corners thereof by bolts 22, passing through spacer sleeves 24 to maintain the plates in the desired relationship.

At one side of the frame, the plates are fixedly secured to a side wall 26 (Figures 1 and 2) integral at the adjacent corner of the frame with a side wall extension 28 terminating adjacent one longitudinal edge of the conveyor belt. Side wall 26 at its other end is integral with a wall 32 of a take-off table 36, which table extends obliquely to the length of the conveyor and is adapted to properly locate the diverted cartons where said cartons will be acted upon by a lid-closing machine, not shown.

At its other side, the table 36 has a side wall 34 parallel to the wall 32. The wall 34 is an extension of the wall 30 of the frame, which wall 30 also terminates adjacent the mentioned longitudinal edge of the conveyor belt.

As shown in Figure 4, the carton-supporting surface of the take-off table is disposed in a plane common to that of the conveyor belt, and it will be understood that the several side walls 26, 28, 3%) of the table will be welded or otherwise fiexedly secured to the plates 10, 12.

A drive motor 38 is of the gear head type, having reduction gearingv encased in a gear box 40. The drive motor 38 has its base secured to the wall 26 as shown in Figures 1 and 4, with the drive shaft 42 of the motor being vertically disposed and being adapted to rotate a drive pulley 44. About pulley 44 there is trained a belt 46 also trained about a larger, driven pulley 48 mounted upon the upper end of a vertically disposed jackshaft 50. The shaft 50 is journaled in bearings provided in the plates 10, 12, and rotates a sprocket 52 about which is trained a sprocket chain 54 (Figures 1 and 2). Chain 54 is trained about a driven sprocket 56 mounted upon a vertically disposed shaft 58 journaled in bearing provided in the plates 10, 12.

Referring now to Figure 3, in which the bottom plate 12 is viewed from the underside thereof, the apparatus includes a plurality of guide belt assemblies generally designated at 60, 62, 64 and 66. Each of these will be described in turn, but at the outset it is appropriate to note that said assemblies extend from the carton guide plate assembly along paths oblique to the direction of movement of the conveyor, shown by the arrows A in Figure 3. The cartons, after passing between the guide plates, are guided between adjacent belt assemblies and are led by said belt assemblies laterally off the conveyor, to be discharged at one side of the apparatus into position upon the take-off table 36, for closing of their lids by the mentioned lid-closing machinery.

Each guide belt assembly will be described in turn and considering first the guide belt assembly 60, it will be noted that this is longer than any of the other assemblies and may be appropriately termed as the outermost guide belt assembly. It includes a drive pulley 68 connected to the shaft 58 for rotation therewith, and trained about the drive pulley 68 is a belt "it? trained also about a flanged idler pulley '72 to change the direction of one flight of the belt. The belt, at the inlet end of the assembly 60, is trained about a crowned idler pulley '74. Pulleys '72, 74 are mounted upon spindles or shafts 7 6, 7 8 journaled in bearings provided in the upper and lower plates 10, 12.

The belt assembly 62 includes an idler pulley 89 about which is trained a belt 82 one flight of which is in engagement with the inner flight of the belt 70. Belt 82 is trained at the inlet end of the assembly 62 about an idler pulley 84, and that flight of the belt 82 that is in contact with the belt '70 is engaged by a plurality of small idler pulleys or rollers 86 mounted upon shafts journaled in the bearing plates 10, 12. The series of rollers 86 extends in a generally arcuate path disposed obliquely to the direction of movement of the conveyor.

It will be noted that at the inlet ends of the guide belt assemblies 60, 62, the contactingflights thereof are aligned substantially with the smaller, outlet end of the entranceway defined by the plates 14, 16. Thus, the upwardly projecting lid of an egg carton guided by and between the plates 14, 16 will be guided into the space between the pulleys 74, 84 so as to be engaged at its opposite sides by the contacting flights of the belts 70, 82, thus to cause the carton to be led along the path defined by said contacting flights onto the take-off table 36.

The guide belt assembly 64 is shorter than the assembly 62, but follows a path substantially paralleling that of the assembly 62. Guide belt assembly 64 includes a belt 83 trained about a drive pulley 89 secured to the shaft 50, and trained also about idler pulleys 90, 92, the pulleys 90 preferably being flanged, since cartons will not be directed into the space between the adjacent flights 82, 88.

The innermost guide belt assembly 66, which is the shortest assembly, includes a belt 94 trained about idler pulleys 96, 98, 106, and about rollers 101, the pulleys 98 preferably being flanged as shown in Figure 3.

The belts 88, 04 have contacting flights, the path of which is determined by the arrangement of the rollers 101 relative to the pulleys 96, 100, said contacting flights being aligned at the inlet end of the apparatus with the outlet of the tapered throat defined between guide plates 18, 20. The lids of other cartons can thus be guided between pulleys 18, to be engaged by and between the contacting flights of belts 88, 94, to move onto the take-off table Referring now to Figure l, the conventional conveyor belt 182 (which does not per se constitute part of the apparatus), supports a plurality of egg cartons 104, each of which has along one side thereof an upwardly projecting lid 106 (see Figure 4). The conveyor belt also supports egg cartons 108, which are of diiferent shape as compared to the cartons 106 and which may now hold eggs of diflerent coloring and/ or size as compared to the eggs in the cartons 104. Further, the cartons 108 may have the lids thereof in closed position or alternatively, if their lids are in upwardly projecting position, they do not extend high enough to be engaged by and between the contacting flights of the several guide belts.

Thus, the apparatus effects a separation of the cartons 104 from the cartons 108, with the cartons 108 continuing past the apparatus upon the conveyor belt and the cartons 104 being guided laterally off the conveyor belt onto the take-oif table 36 as shown in Figure 1.

In Figures 5 and 6 there is shown a modified construction, which under some circumstances may be suitable for use according to the needs of the particular situation and which embodies features that may permit reduction of the overall cost of the apparatus, according to the desires of the particular user.

in this form of the invention, there are top and bottom plates 110, 112 corresponding to plates 10, 12 in the first form, and connected at three corners by bolts 114 which may be equipped with spacer sleeves similar to those of the first form. Guide means adapted to lead the cartons into the space between contacting carton-diverging elements include convergent guide plates 116, 118, the plate 118 being integral with a guide plate 120.

At the fourth corner of the apparatus, a stub shaft 122 is extended through a spacer sleeve 124, and is journaled in bearings 126 mounted in openings of the top and bottom plates 110, 112. Holding the stub shaft against axial slippage from its assigned position are set collars 128, 130 on the upper and lower ends thereof.

Secured to the stub shaft for rotation therewith is a large guide wheel 132, the periphery of which cooperates with the guide plate in defining a tapered entrance throat as shown in Figure 5. A wear plate 134 is secured to the underside of wheel 132, and bears against the second collar 130.

In this form of the invention, three guide belt assemassaoss blies, generally designated 136, 138 and 140 are provided, and are arranged generally similarly to the guide belt assemblies of the first form. The number of guide belt assemblies, it may be noted, can be increased or reduced in both forms of the invention, as desired.

The innermost guide belt assembly 136 curves about the periphery of the guide wheel 132, and includes a belt 142 trained about pulleys 144, 146, 148 one of which would be connected to the drive means. One flight of the belt 142 is in direct contact with the periphery of wheel 132, so as to cause the wheel to be turned when the belt is driven, so that upwardly projecting carton lids will be engaged by and between the wheel periphery and the contacting flight of belt 142, for guiding of the carton to the take-oft table.

Belt assembly 138 includes a belt 150, trained about pulleys 152, 154, 156, while belt assembly 140 includes a belt 158 trained about pulleys 160, 162, 164. Belts 158, 150 have contacting flights aligned with the entrance throat defined between plates 116, 118 for guiding the cartons to the take-off table.

In both forms of the invention, it will be seen that the cartons, even though they may be positioned in a somewhat haphazard manner upon the conveyor, and may be in direct line with other cartons that are not to be acted upon by the device, will be guided to a proper position between driven guide elements so disposed as to lead the engaged carton laterally oil the conveyor belt to a takeoff table, while not acting upon cartons of different types or cartons having their lids down. In some instances, the cartons are engaged between contacting flights of adjacent belts, while in the form shown in Figure 5, some of the cartons will be engaged in the arcuate guide means defined by the periphery of the wheel 132 and the contacting flight of belt 142.

The lids of cardboard egg cartons are flexible, though normally straight, and accordingly, when engaged between the pair of belts or between a belt and a wheel, will be flexed to a curved condition, thus to cause said lids to be maintained in frictional engagement by and between the associated guide elements, to lead the carton off the conveyor onto the take-E table.

The device, can of course, be mounted upon the conveyor at a selected height, so as to act only upon a particular type of carton. Further, the drive means can be varied according to the particular situation, it being mainly important that a drive means be supplied at one or more points in such a manner as to insure continuous movement of all the belts, or, in the form of Figure 5, all belts and the wheel 132.

It is believed apparent that the invention is not necessarily confined to the specific use or uses thereof described and claimed since it may be utilized for any purpose to which it may be suited. Nor is the invention to be necessarily limited to the specific construction illustrated and described, since such construction is only intended to be illustrative of the principles of the invention, it being considered that the invention comprehends any minor change in construction that may be permitted within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for intercepting and diverting from a conveyor belt cartons having upwardly projecting lids, comprising, in combination with a conveyor belt, a support frame including a horizontal top plate spaced upwardly from and bridging the conveyor belt; and at least one pair of elongated guide belt assemblies extending in side-byside relation along paths oblique to the direction of travel of the conveyor belt, said assemblies each including a pair of end pulleys and an endless belt trained thereabout, said belts having contacting inner flights for engaging therebetween a carton lid, one assembly including a row of direction-changing idler rollers engaged by the inner flight and arranged in a curving row, to impart a corresponding curvature to the inner flights of the respective belts.

2. A device for intercepting and diverting from a conveyor belt cartons having upwardly projecting lids, comprising, in combination with a conveyor belt, a support frame including a horizontal top plate spaced upwardly from and bridging the conveyor belt; at least one pair of elongated guide belt assemblies extending in side-by-side relation along paths oblique to the direction of travel of the conveyor belt, said assemblies each including a pair of end pulleys and an endless belt trained thereabout, said belts having contacting inner flights for engaging therebetween a carton lid, one assembly including a row of direction-changing idler rollers engaged by the inner flight and arranged in a curving row, to impart a correspondiug curvature to the inner flights of the respective belts; and a pair of guide plates depending from the top plate adjacent one end of the guide assemblies, said guide plates converging toward the respective guide assemblies in position to lead the lids between the inner flights of said assemblies, each guide plate lying obliquely across a guide assembly.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,109,284 Friel Sept. 1, 1914 2,426,169 Adams et a1 Aug. 26, 1947 2,601,922 Fahey July 1, 1952 2,642,178 Naylor June 16, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 466,436 France May 12, 1914 927,439 Germany May 9, 1955 

